Inspired by a recent trip to Mexico where we were served beans with every meal and adapted from The Professional Chef, p. 819

Author: Mardi Michels

Recipe type: Side dish

Serves: 10

Ingredients

1lb (454g) dried white (navy) beans

water (or chicken stock) as needed

1 bay leaf

2 teaspoons oregano powder

salt, to taste

2 shallots, minced

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 tablespoon ground cumin

1 tablespoon fresh oregano leaves, roughly chopped

1 tablespoon fresh cilantro, roughly chopped

3 tablespoons olive oil

crumbled feta and cilantro, to serve

Instructions

Rinse the beans well in cold water.

Soak the beans overnight.

Drain and rinse the beans.

Place the beans in the stock or water combined with the oregano powder and bay leaf (there should be a couple of inches more water than beans)and simmer, uncovered, for about 60-90 minutes or until the beans are tender enough to mash against the side of the pot with a wooden spoon. Most of the water should have evaporated. If you have more than about ¼ cup, drain the excess. Remove the bay leaf and remove beans from heat.

Add the minced shallots, garlic, cumin, cilantro and oregano and, using an immersion blender, mash until the mixture is as smooth or as lumpy as you like it. I like to keep it a bit lumpy - prefer the rustic look.

Mix the olive oil into the beans. This is not a creamy mixture - it's more dry - so if you are serving it a few days later a drop of olive oil should be mixed in to moisten it a little.

Sprinkle with a little crumbled feta and cilantro and serve as you wish - with breakfast scrambled eggs, with tortilla chips as a dip, in a quesadilla…. The possibilities are endless!